A.Fry

i was at a wheel shop the other day trying on a few different wheels and i was concerened that they didnt know what they were doing, jacking it up from the side no puc or pad or nothing. i mentioned to the boss man that they could do damage by jacking it up like that and he said they just make sure the doors and hatch and hood were open to prevent any body binding. is there any truth to this or was it just a bunch o bull?

Blue02ws6

lol, the reason for pucks are to not damage the bottom facia because most jack pads are larger than the little space that is safe to jack from. I think he was feeding you a load of $hit.

DngrZne

The Vette is stiff enough that you don't need to worry about opening things to jack it up.

Mudlizard

Guys an idiot. Better check under your car for damage at the jacking points.

dwarmenzerk

ive had someone tell me the same thing before about the body twisting... i thought he was joking with me..

alanh

That body twisting or springing is a real issue on the older Vettes, but has never been a problem on the C5's. They are just carrying the old precautions over to the C5's.

Tact

I too would check for under body damage if they weren't using any block or pucks to jack it up. There are certain areas a vette is to be lifted.

candapifer

Hey Guys, Just to let you know there is a little flex in the car. It's built that way. You'll even find a frame stiffner in the torque tube area under the car just above the exhaust for this reason. It is common practice according to the GM dealership when they lift these vettes, they do it with mine. They, however, use the proper jacking pucks to prevent damage to the body panels. Does opening the doors need to be done? Who knows. If they are continuing with this practice because of earlier model problems then what's the harm. Never let anyone lift your car without placing either a puck or small piece of wood directly on the frame rail to protect your rocker panel. When they break, it's a pain in the A** to fix and it's never the same. Just my .02.

vms4evr

This is carried over from the C4 and possibly earlier Vettes. The C5 has hydroformed rails and the chassis is very stiff compared to the C4. The earlier C4s were worse than the later ones. So it was always a good idea to crack the doors open when lifting one. Just like putting the removable top on them was best done with the car on level ground.

I've never opened the doors on my Z06 when lifting it.

dndrsn

On a four post lift or jacking by the crossmembers I don't think it makes a difference about the doors. If jacking only one corner, just to be safe, don't open or shut the door while the car is jacked up.

I don't open my doors when I drive across rail road tracks and other uneven surfaces.

Red903L

The "hydro-formed" rails on the C5 added so much stiffness that it's no longer necessary to open doors and rear deck lids as in the past, BUT I certainly would recommed the use of jacking pucks or something to protect the bottom facia.

coupeguy2001

The open the doors thing is for C4 verts. the frame wasn't stiff enough to keep from pinching the car in the middle, and the windshield is the first thing to go even with the X brace under the car.
If you remove the X brace, you have to jack the car in the middle to eliminate the sag so the bolts will go back in

Bill Dearborn

I have been hearing this fairy tale since I bought my first Vette in 1972. Have never had a problem no matter how I jacked the car. The 69 roadster and the 86 targa top were the most flexible and once the car was jacked it was better to leave the doors where they were when you started. The 71 coupe and the C5s were so stiff you could lift 3 wheels off the ground by jacking at one point. I currently jack my C5 on one side to get both wheels off the ground and can open and shut the door with no problem.

The pucks are not the correct things to use for jacking since they are designed to use with a lift so the lift pads do not hit the rocker panel at the rear lift points. If used for jacking the pucks are too small in diameter for the weight being supported and will dent the frame. If a wide jack pad or a wooden 2x4x5 is used at the front lift points the car can be jacked to take both wheels off the ground with no frame damage.

Bill

mvvette97

I had mine on the hoist lastnight and when I went to open the door it seemed like it was stuck. The body must twist some

Face

It does, but not as much as earlier Vettes. I can tell there's a difference in handling with my roll bar sidebars(5th and 6th points) in the car compared to being out.